Robert Mulvenna, Club Chef, The Landings Golf & Athletic Club
As a classically French-trained chef, Robert Mulvenna, Club Chef of The Landings Golf & Athletic Club in Savannah, Ga., has a deep respect for classic dishes from all cultures. Still, he says, he often makes his own tweaks to traditional dishes, such as the Nicoise salad.
“I wanted to use ingredients and techniques that I find to be slightly more appealing,” Mulvenna notes. “For example, using sushi-grade tuna is much more appealing to me than canned or fully cooked poached tuna. Also, a one-hour sous vide egg is much more decadent than a hard-boiled or even soft-boiled egg, in my opinion. And getting char on lettuce and green beans adds a whole different flavor profile than using gem lettuce and steamed or boiled beans. I feel it is the little things that can make the difference between a good and a great dish.”
The dish has a charred, earthy component, Mulvenna says, with a nice counterbalance of sweetness, acidity and freshness. Plus, the 147-degree egg adds another level of decadence.
“I offered this dish on New Year’s Eve for a large plated event, and it was more popular than the Caesar salad! I was very surprised by this, as our membership likes classics,” he notes. “This made the taking of a classic in a way that I find it to be pleasing, something I could be confident of adding to my day-to-day dishes.”
Ultimately, the dish is successful because of its approachability, it’s technique and the quality of the ingredients.
“For club and resort chefs,” Mulvenna says, “I think elevating or reimagining classic dishes is a way that we can use the techniques that make us happy to show our memberships or guests different textures and flavors.”
